Job Discussion Forums

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

One of them thinks Bratislava is in the Czech Republic. The other thinks it should be part of Greater Hungary. And that is okay ??????????!!!!!!!!

What would happen to me if I went to Texas and told the locals that the Alamo was in Mexico ?

Geography is not just important. It is a matter of life and death !

jonney · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 28

posting a geographically inadequate message on a website is not a matter of life and death. you are a buffoon!

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

"buffoon" ? Is this parliamentary language ?

spatrick · Joined: 09 Apr 2003 Posts: 31

This is for Jonney, if I spelled that right.

He (?) said, //the poor guy asked a question on the internet - a place where proper english usage is not expected by even the most stuck-up losers - except here. teachers are notorious for looking for any reason to savage another human being for what they perveive as an inadequacy.

ok - he got the geography wrong.
ok - he neglected to check his grammar refernce books before posting a question. //

First of all, we are supposedly English teachers so one would expect that proper use of English would come naturally. I certainly don�t proof my emails for complete accuracy, but I do pay attention to what I say when I�m doing any sort of writing.

I don�t think this is stuck up, solely what should be considered the lowest form of professionalism.

Further, I can�t imagine what form of "teacher" you refer to when you say that we "savage another human being for what [we] perveive as an inadequacy." By definition, a teacher should be the opposite of this. If you feel that we are savaging the author, then I�d think you haven�t seen many countries�savaging of their students (I once joked with a student that he had to stand in the corner of the room with his textbook on his head: he actually stood up to do so before I could explain I wasn�t serious).

As far as the geography, getting the capital city of a country confused with another country is something more than just a slip. I presume that the author wanted to post his question on this site and as there is not a Slovakian listing, he chose to write Czech Rep. Still, people will and do get quite upset when you confuse their geography, as you can witness from these replies.

In the end, I tend to agree with you that on the internet, people�s grammar shouldn�t count. Yet, this forum isn�t quite the average internet site, now is it?

Patrick

grahamb · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Posts: 1945

Patrick's right about the offence caused by sloppy geography. Can you imagine the reaction if you called a Chinaman (or woman) "Japanese?"
Or a Canadian "American?" Or a Kiwi "Australian?"
Scot47, on the subject of re-drawing national borders, isn't it time we got Berwick-upon-Tweed back from the Auld Enemy?

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

The return of Berwick is historically inevitable. It might take another few hundred years though.

I am still AMAZED that some so-called teachers think it is okay to state that Bratislava is in the Czech Republic. Just shows how many plonkers there are in this field.

andrew · Joined: 19 Feb 2003 Posts: 38

Varney did not say that Bratislava was in the Czech Republic. He said Caledonian School (in Prague) offered him a job in Bratislava (where they are expanding). Caledonian treated me well a few years back.